Quantum Computing to Enhance Performance of Machine Learning Algorithms

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This article presents evidence that electrical engineering, computer science, and data science students, participating in introduction to machine learning (ML) courses, fail to interpret the performance of ML algorithms correctly, since they fail to consider the application domain. This phenomenon is referred to as the domain neglect bias and is discussed in this article from the cognitive psychology perspective. <p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <i>Background:</i> ML algorithms are common components in electrical engineering, computer science, and data science curricula. Learning ML is challenging not only due to its complex mathematical and algorithmic aspects, but also due to: 1) the complexity of using these algorithms in the context of real-life situations correctly and 2) the comprehension of related social and ethical issues. <p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <i>Research Question:</i> To what extent do students fail to correctly interpret the performance of ML algorithms due to the domain neglect bias and how can this bias be explained? <p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <i>Methodology:</i> A questionnaire containing two questions was designed, in which the participants were asked to compare the performance of ML algorithms in the contexts of different application domains. The questions were designed to trigger the domain neglect bias which in turn, allowed quantification of its prevalence. <p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <i>Findings:</i> One third of the students failed to recognize the outperforming ML algorithm due to the domain neglect bias. Educators should note this bias and develop new pedagogical methods for teaching ML performance in order to mitigate the bias.

The success of blockchain projects depends, to a large extent, on the developer's involvement. Source code-commit privilege to the project is typically restricted to a few developers known as committers. Project leaders continuously search for new committers to evolve into a high-quality blockchain. However, promoting developers into committers is risky, mainly when the promoted committers exhibit low involvement behaviour. Hence, the committer assessment process is critical to the successful evolution of blockchain projects. The phenomenon of developer induction as code committers has previously been explored in the literature. However, previous studies employed objective measures such as the number of bugs report and code patches to appraise the developers activities for promotion purposes. Although these approaches are significant, behavioural tendencies influencing developers' activities are ignored. There have, however, been comparatively few investigations on a subjective measure that evaluate developers' perception of their activities for promotion purposes. This study aims to appraise blockchain developers' perceptions for predicting future committers in blockchain projects. In this study, 173 blockchain developers’ perceptions were gathered. The study employed hybrid analyses such as Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to first analyse the survey data and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict future committers. The performance of various ML algorithms was evaluated compared to classification performance indicators such as the F1 score, accuracy, precision, and AUC. In addition, the study also investigates the most important factors that predict future committers. The results indicate that XGBoost algorithm achieves the best performance with an accuracy of 0.94. Moreover, the most important factors in predicting future committers in a blockchain project are project desertion, developer involvement, decision-right delegation and system integration.

A hybrid agent-based machine learning method for human-centred energy consumption prediction

Machine Learning (ML) techniques find value in healthcare due to its ability to process huge data sets and convert them into clinical insights. These insights help physicians and healthcare providers in planning, quick decision making and providing timely care to patients with higher accuracy, lower costs and increased customer satisfaction. This paper evaluates the performance of ML algorithms for cancer detection and diagnosis. It compares the performance of different cancer detection algorithms for different types of datasets. It also investigates how the performance of the ML algorithms improve with the use of feature extraction methods, specifically for lung cancer. Developing generic feature extraction methods still remain as a challenge. Healthcare providers need to reorient their treatment approach for diseases like cancer with more focus on detecting them at a very early stage so as to maximize the chances of recovery for the patients.

The liver, a life-sustaining organ, plays a substantial role in many body functions. Liver diseases have become an important world health problem in terms of prevalence, incidences, and mortalities. Liver fibrosis/cirrhosis is great of importance, because if not treated in time liver cancer could be occurred and spread to other parts of the body. For this reason, early diagnosis of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis gives significance. Accordingly, this study investigated the performances of different machine learning algorithms for prediction of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis based on demographic and blood values. In this context, random forest, k nearest neighbour, C4.5 decision tree, K-star, random tree and reduced error pruning tree algorithms were used. Two distinct approaches were employed to evaluate the performances of machine learning algorithms. In the first approach, the entire features of dataset were utilized, while in the second approach, only the features selected through principal component analysis were used. Each approach was rigorously assessed using both 10-fold cross-validation and data splitting (70% train and 30% test) techniques. By conducting separate evaluations for each approach, a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of utilizing all features versus extracted features based principal component analysis was attained, providing valuable insights into the impact of feature dimensionality reduction on model performance. In this study, all analyses were implemented on WEKA data mining tool. In the first approach, the classification accuracies of random forest algorithm were 89.72% and 90.75% with the application of data splitting (70%-30%) and cross-validation techniques, respectively. In the second approach, where feature reduction is performed using principal component analysis technique, the accuracy values obtained from data splitting and cross-validation techniques of random forest algorithm were 88.61% and 88.83%, respectively. The obtained results revealed out that random forest algorithm outperformed for both approaches. Besides, the application of principal component analysis technique negatively affected the classification performance of used machine learning algorithms. It is thought that the proposed model will guide specialist physicians in making appropriate treatment decisions for patients with liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, potentially leading to death in its advanced stages.

Quantum Computing and Algorithmic Law

In the realm of software development, detecting code smells is a critical task for ensuring good code quality. God class code smell specifically has a specific nature associated with a great deal of subjectivity due to the levels of coupling and cohesion associated to it. Automated techniques for code smell detection aim to resolve this subjectivity. Machine learning techniques have shown promising results that tend to improve accuracy and reduce the bias associated with other techniques for God class identification. This is due to their pattern recognition capabilities making them more objective in identifying patterns that indicate code smells. However, current results need to be further improved in terms of both accuracy and generalizability. The challenge in the use of machine learning is not only in selecting the most appropriate technique but also lies in effectively representing source code as input patterns fed to Machine Learning (ML) classifier(s). Code representation plays a pivotal role in encoding source code for ML algorithms. This study aims improving the accuracy and generalizability of God class code smell detection via exploring the effect of using various code representation techniques, namely, tree-based, metric-based, code embedding, and token-based code representation techniques on the ML detection results. The study is conducted on the MLCQ dataset, and applies various ML algorithms (specifically: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, SVM, Decision Tree, Naive Bayes, Gradient Boosting, XGBoost). The evaluation results show how different code representation techniques influence ML detection outcomes and the comparative performance of ML algorithms. The study findings reveal that the F1-score achieved outperforms prior studies on the MLCQ dataset, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The presented results reveal how the code representation technique used makes a significant impact on the ML classifier results. This paves the way for developing intelligent IDE plugins for just in time God Class code smell detection among other code smells.

Quantum computing is gaining popularity across a wide range of scientific disciplines due to its potential to solve long-standing computational problems that are considered intractable with classical computers. One promising area where quantum computing has potential is in the speed-up of NP-hard optimisation problems that are common in industrial areas such as logistics and finance. Newcomers to the field of quantum computing who are interested in using this technology to solve optimisation problems do not have an easily accessible source of information on the current capabilities of quantum computers and algorithms. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the theory of quantum optimisation techniques and their practical application, focusing on their near-term potential for noisy intermediate scale quantum devices. The paper starts by drawing parallels between classical and quantum optimisation problems, highlighting their conceptual similarities and differences. Two main paradigms for quantum hardware are then discussed: analogue and gate-based quantum computers. While analog devices such as quantum annealers are effective for some optimisation problems, they have limitations and cannot be used for universal quantum computation. In contrast, gate-based quantum computers offer the potential for universal quantum computation, but they face challenges with hardware limitations and accurate gate implementation. The paper provides a detailed mathematical discussion with references to key works in the field, as well as a more practical discussion with relevant examples. The most popular techniques for quantum optimisation on gate-based quantum computers, the quantum approximate optimisation algorithm and the quantum alternating operator ansatz framework, are discussed in detail. However, it is still unclear whether these techniques will yield quantum advantage, even with advancements in hardware and noise reduction. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges facing quantum optimisation techniques and the need for further research and development to identify new, effective methods for achieving quantum advantage.

As we begin to reach the limits of classical computing, quantum computing has emerged as a technology that has captured the imagination of the scientific world. While for many years, the ability to execute quantum algorithms was only a theoretical possibility, recent advances in hardware mean that quantum computing devices now exist that can carry out quantum computation on a limited scale. Thus, it is now a real possibility, and of central importance at this time, to assess the potential impact of quantum computers on real problems of interest. One of the earliest and most compelling applications for quantum computers is Feynman's idea of simulating quantum systems with many degrees of freedom. Such systems are found across chemistry, physics, and materials science. The particular way in which quantum computing extends classical computing means that one cannot expect arbitrary simulations to be sped up by a quantum computer, thus one must carefully identify areas where quantum advantage may be achieved. In this review, we briefly describe central problems in chemistry and materials science, in areas of electronic structure, quantum statistical mechanics, and quantum dynamics that are of potential interest for solution on a quantum computer. We then take a detailed snapshot of current progress in quantum algorithms for ground-state, dynamics, and thermal-state simulation and analyze their strengths and weaknesses for future developments.

Machine and deep learning identified metabolites and clinical features associated with gallstone disease

Research methods in machine learning play a pivotal role since the accuracy and reliability of the results are influenced by the research methods used. The main aims of this paper were to explore current research methods in machine learning, emerging themes, and the implications of those themes in machine learning research. To achieve this the researchers analyzed a total of 100 articles published since 2021 in IEEE journals. This study revealed that Machine learning uses quantitative research methods with experimental research design being the de facto research approach. The study also revealed that researchers nowadays use more than one algorithm to address a problem. Optimal feature selection has also emerged to be a key thing that researchers are using to optimize the performance of Machine learning algorithms. Confusion matrix and its derivatives are still the main ways used to evaluate the performance of algorithms, although researchers are now also considering the processing time taken by an algorithm to execute. Python programming languages together with its libraries are the most used tools in creating, training, and testing models. The most used algorithms in addressing both classification and prediction problems are; Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Artificial Neural Networks, and Decision Tree. The recurring themes identified in this study are likely to open new frontiers in Machine learning research. Keywords: Research methods in machine learning, machine learning algorithms, machine learning techniques.

The development of near-term quantum computers, referred to as Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers, has progressed rapidly in the past few years resulting in several quantum computers which vary in their underlying technology and physical constraints. The performance of these computers also varies from one quantum algorithm to another. To enable efficient selection of the quantum computer that provides the highest output fidelity for a given application, an accurate noise modeling of each quantum hardware is required. However, noise modeling for a given application is a complex problem because of the unknown interaction between the quantum circuit parameters and the noise parameters of NISQ devices. We propose the use of Machine Learning (ML) to model the performance of different quantum computers at the application level. The ML models predict the output fidelity of the quantum application executed on different quantum computers given their publicly available physical constraints. We use a diverse training dataset to cover the key features for application-level benchmarking of the quantum hardware. Our results obtained from different superconducting quantum devices show that our proposed ML models enable cost-effective quantum computer selection for different quantum applications with different fidelity metrics.

This research paper introduces a machine learning (ML) forecasting model for COVID-19cases to investigate the performance of machine learning algorithms and develop a new procedure toimprove prediction efficiency. Utilizing the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Linear Regression (LR),K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and the proposed approach, the studyconsiders the COVID-19 data to forecast case numbers. The study contextualizes its findings througha systematic methodology of dataset compilation, algorithm interpretation, and framework development.It uses measures such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and RootMean Squared Error (RMSE) to evaluate the predictive performance. The trend in COVID-19 dataand predictions from different algorithms is shown through graphical illustrations. The same goes forthe proposed framework predictions. This study demonstrates that the proposed LR approach and theframework outperform previous MLP, KNN, and SVM models, suggesting the relevance of explainableand robust modelling solutions for COVID-19 risk assessment. Our suggested framework, whichoutperforms individual algorithms by averaging their results after combining them, significantly reducesprediction errors. Discussion of implications of forecasts for interventions, resource allocation, andpolicy decisions is done, with the need for accurate forecasting in the pandemic response highlighted.Further research can be expected to improve the framework, incorporate new machine learning (ML)techniques, and deploy real-time adaptive modelling systems. Collaboration between researchers,policymakers, and healthcare practitioners is crucial for adopting research results into practice andpromoting evidence-based decision-making in outbreak response and preparedness. Generally, thisstudy shows the progress of epidemiological forecasting and provides important information infighting COVID-19 and future epidemics.

Quantum computing has emerged as a promising field with the potential to revolutionize information processing and storage. Understanding its current state and research trajectory is crucial. This study aims to map the current literature on quantum computing, to identify how quantum computing is being used in solving quantum software problems and improving quantum algorithms. Moreover, it examines evaluation parameters and the challenges faced in this field. A systematic mapping study was conducted using the SCOPUS database, including all papers up to December 2024. Relevant articles were selected based on inclusion criteria, and a content analysis was performed to categorize and synthesize the findings. Information was gathered from 33 primary studies. Findings show that quantum computing is mainly applied in machine learning and optimization, though classical methods still outperform it. IBM Quantum is the most used platform. Research focuses on algorithm efficiency, verification over validation, and resource optimization, but lacks standardized evaluation methods. Key limitations include hardware constraints, noise, and scalability, while challenges involve integration, error correction, and problem formulation. Quantum computing continues to face significant technological challenges, but current research lays the groundwork for future advances. More practical studies on real hardware and strategies to improve the implementation and performance of quantum algorithms are needed. Effective evaluation, verification, and validation of quantum solutions must be further investigated.

Pressure gradient (PG) in liquid-liquid flow is one of the key components to design an energy-efficient transportation system for wellbores. This study aims to develop five robust machine learning (ML) algorithms and their fusions for a wide range of flow patterns (FP) regimes. The MLs include Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gaussian Process (GP), Random Forest (RF), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), and fusions of these five MLs. A total of eleven hundred experimental data points for nine FPs (two stratified and seven dispersed patterns) in horizontal wellbores are used to develop the MLs. The MLs' performance is evaluated using the metrics including mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), median absolute percentage error (MdAPE), coefficient of variation of root mean squared error (CV-RMSE), and adjusted coefficient of determination. The evaluation metrics are cross-validated using a repeated train-test split strategy. Seven important predictor variables are identified using a supervised feature selection approach: oil and water velocities, FP, input diameter, oil and water density, and oil viscosity. The results show that the high PG prediction accuracy can be achieved using GP compared to other MLs except for the ML-fusions (p < 0.05). A Friedman's test and Wilcoxon Sign-Rank post hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction show that PG prediction errors using GP are significantly lower than using the ANN model (p < 0.05). The values are 18.44 % and 23.9 % for CV-RMSE, 11.6 % and 10.06 % for MAPE, and 7.5 % and 6.75 % for MdAPE, using ANN and GP, respectively. While the previous studies mostly used ANN to demonstrate the capability of MLs to predict PG over the mechanistic or correlation-based models, the present research has shown that GP is even better than ANN using a wide range of FPs and a large data set. • Machine-learning algorithms are developed to predict the pressure gradient. • The Gaussian Process model produces significantly lower prediction error. • The median absolute percentage error using Gaussian Process is 6.75 %. • More than 95 % variation of pressure gradient can be explained using seven variables.